A Study on Nutritional Status and Micronutrient Deficiencies among Primary School Children

Background: Micronutrients are essential for adequate physical and intellectual growth of children, however little information is available on micronutrient status of school children in Visakhapatnam. The present study was designed to know the nutritional status and micronutrient deficiencies among primary school children. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 120 children from two Government schools. Children studying from 1 to 5 standard who were present in the school at the time of study were included. Information was obtained using a pre-tested questionnaire. Results: The prevalence of under nutrition was found to be 60%, of which 36.8% were moderate to severely under-nourished. Most of the children belong to lower middle (46.7%) and upper lower (51.6%) income groups. About 60% of the parents of the children were illiterates. Vitamin A deficiency (bitot’s spots) was seen in 19.49% of children. Nutritional anemia (palmar pallor) was found in 17.4%.